Before we moved to Las Cruces, a colleague of my husband’s took us on a tour of the town. Riding around in the back of his SUV, he brought us in and out of neighborhoods, crisscrossing the city while giving an informative voice-over on its history and future plans.

One thing he said I found charming (and I’m sure he meant it to be), was that in the National Anthem, when they sing “purple mountains majesty,” they were talking about the Organ Mountains–the mountains that form the east side of the city.

It is an awesome sight, in the true meaning of the word. The color sometimes takes you by surprise, and it only lasts a short while until the sun sets over the mesas in the distance.

So while I don’t have an answer to the “why” the Organs turn purple (and my Googling didn’t turn up anything of significance), there are a few great spots to watch the mountains cycle through its colors in the evening. One is on top of the Las Cruces Dam behind Albertson’s & Target. This is a high perch with plenty of parking, and has the added benefit of being able to watch the sun set over the horizon in one direction, and its color-washing on the Organs behind you.Another spot is just driving up Lohman Ave. from Downtown–for a short while of the drive you are head on with the mountains and get a great view.A third spot, I believe, (we haven’t done it since we were considering moving here) is up in Picacho Hills, at the other end of the city. From here, you will get a view not only of the mountains but of the city as it starts to light up for the evening.

If anyone out there knows why, please feel free to share. I’m curious!

The first time I was in a dust storm that blocked out the sun, I felt like it was an apocalypse. I was driving down one of the busier streets in our town, talking to my mom through my headset, and noticed it was starting to get darker… and darker… and darker… until it seemed like night in the middle of the day. But unlike the blue-black sky of night, it was a murky, dirty brown sky. Dirt pellets and small rocks hit my car; actual tumbleweeds blew across the streets, victimizing whomever or whatever happened to be in its path.

I remember saying, “Uh, the sun is completely blocked out of the sky.” And my mom asking, what on earth do I mean, an unfathomable experience for East Coasters, who only know high winds to be part of hurricanes.

But today is one such day where the typical bright beautiful blue New Mexican sky turns an awful shade of newspaper pulp. Here’s how it happens: first it starts out a little breezy in the morning, then picks up by midday. By 1pm, I have to make my first round of pick up items at risk of blowing away — a seat cushion out of the pool, a pool float pressing up against the side of the wall separating our backyard from our neighbors… I start to see items swirling around our yard, not ours, but new visitors such as plastic, paper, or pieces of garbage, dancing in the air — and I hope they will move on to land somewhere else but here. Little piles of desert dirt begins to pile up at the seams of our doors and windows. If you walk outside, you hold your breath or risk breathing in a mouthful of it.

On the horizon, the dust storm, clocking in around 30 mph I hear, turns what is usually a clear view to a blanket of grey that wiped out my view of our entire town. I can no longer see two blocks away. The sun is out, but there is a haze that covers it completely.

It is an unusual thing living in a place that is overtaken by dust — where you have to hold down pool covers with rocks, move outdoor furniture against the house, and hope your kid’s plastic swing set doesn’t fly into the neighbors yard.

The wind will die down tonight — it usually does once the sun goes down. But, it will pick back up tomorrow. It might even get up to 60 mph, they say.

One of the most amazing things about living in a small town in the Southwest is the amount of land still undeveloped. Coming from the densely populated New York suburbs, where towns bump right against one another, having land still in its natural state in between stores like Kohl’s and Lowe’s in unfathomable.

There are many of these plots of land in Las Cruces. Creosote bushes between banks. Sand between sandwich shops. Tumbleweeds between townhouses. (Ok, just kidding, there aren’t sandwich shopS.)

At first, this imagery as I drove through town was like misfiring neurons in my brain. Why were these lonely pieces of land left out of the development pie? What does this town need that should be built here. When would they be built?

And one that gives me the most pause: What would this town look like in 20 years from now?

The excitement of what is to come is also tempered by a sadness of the deterioration of the natural beauty of the desert. Today, roads are paved to the desert’s edge and abruptly stop, as if to say, “That’s enough for now, folks.” But one day they will continue and the desert will be consumed by people.

New Mexico has launched a new $2 million campaign to bring visitors to the state. Using the slogan “New Mexico True” it aims to draw in visitors seeking adventure activities. However, there has been some criticism that the as primarily focus is on the northern part of the state where the more popular Albuquerque and Santa Fe are located.

As the second largest city in the state, Las Cruces is a vibrant home to more than 23,000 New Mexico State University students and is an agricultural center for the production of pecans and chile peppers. It is located in Doña Ana County, just about an hour from El Paso International Airport.
Agriculture aside, there are several things to do in Las Cruces, especially for outdoorsy types.

Hiking abounds with several locations around the city serving as starting points for afternoon treks. Dripping Springs has an easy trail perfect for families and a few interesting sites including historical structures dating back to the early 1900s. Aguirre Springs is another trail that starts out with a spectacular, curvy drive through the Organ Mountains and offers several shaded picnic areas. Camping is also allowed here. Both provide vast vistas of New Mexico landscape.

If more interested in “the local scene” then visit the award-winning farmers market, located on the newly renovated Main Street. Las Cruces Farmers Market draws in over 100 vendors each week on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Crafts, plants, jewelry, and national curiosities such as petrified wood are some of the items available for sale. A local favorite is Osito’s Raspberry Habanero Biscochitos, a sweet shortbread cookie sprinkled with sugar that packs a surprising heat. (They are seriously good – but not for the faint of heart. A few East Coast family members got a little teary eyed when the heat was released.) Look for the Osito’s food truck on Saturdays. The Farmer Market is open Wednesdays & Saturdays, 8 AM -12:30 PM during the summer and 9 AM – 1:30 PM during the winter.

Though not as sweet, but easily as pleasing is a trip to the White Sands National Monument. Located 52 miles east of Las Cruces, just on the other side of the Organ Mountains, White Sands is a break-taking natural wonder. With 275 miles of desert covered in gypsum dunes, it is home to guided moon-lit tours, camp grounds, a balloon festival, a film festival, and a favorite in winter for those missing snow: sledding. Sleds are, surprisingly, available for rent or purchase in the gift shop for sleigh-riding down the dunes.

If visiting New Mexico, Las Cruces has unique sites and delectable local cuisine that will please any party.

Where to Stay

There are several options for lodging in Las Cruces with many of the national chains. However, Hotel Encanto is one that provides a little more of the local culture. Decorated in a Spanish Mission-style, the lobby is decked out in cool Mexican tile and chunky wooden furniture. It is centrally located with easy access to popular destinations. When booking, ask for a room facing the city for nice view of Mesilla Valley at night (Ok, just look past the mall – the lights are just beyond it and are quite pretty). The hotel is located at 705 South Telshor Boulevard in Las Cruces.

Where to Eat

Paisano Café, located in Mesilla, serves up creative Latin-inspired dishes unlike anywhere else in town. Try the Mole Verde o Pipian, a toasted pumpkin seed and tomatillo mole sauce with a hint of hoja santa (root beer plant) or the Caper Tequila Lime Shrimp Fettuccine. Though they serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner, it is worth visiting for dinner to try one of the best tomatillo salsas available anywhere. The Paisano Café is located at 1740 Calle de Mercado in Mesilla.

A Few Other Fun Things to Do

If three things aren’t enough to whet your appetite, here are a few others:

Visit historic Mesilla for shopping and adobe architecture

Go for dinner at Double Eagle and ask them to tell you the history of the supposedly haunted building

Watch the sunset along the Las Cruces Dam (there is no water, just a ridge that offers an excellent walk transversing town – and if you need motivation, there is a Starbucks on either end.)

Visit for the Day of the Dead Festival, The Whole Enchilada Festival, or Salsa Festival

Get a guided tour of the Farm & Ranch Museum to learn about New Mexico’s farming, ranching and rural life

On top of a ridge, the Beetle is perched, waiting for its owner to return from a walk above town, hoping for a sunset, but oppressed by mountain clouds. Below, big boxes selling everything you don’t need but have to have, fulfill the desires of people who empty their wallets to not go home empty-handed. But the beetle, cherry red, waits and watches and will be there again.

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Welcome to the LeahMessina.com. This is a place where I share, tally, explore, log, document, and wax poetic about travel, entrepreneurship, motherhood, design, and (something I'm not sure I'll ever get used to) living in a small town. I'm especially interested in if / when any of these ideas intersect.